By Dot Bergin
Jessica Porter has been a key player in Bedford town government as Assistant Town Manager for six years; now her last day on the job is August 14. After a short vacation, she will be taking up a new position as Human Resources Director for the Town of Belmont.
In speaking with The Citizen, Jessica admitted that the move is “bittersweet” for her. Although she is pleased with the idea of having her own department with three employees reporting to her and her own budget, she has pangs about leaving Bedford, where, she said, “Rick Reed took a chance on me, giving me my first job right out of graduate school.” Jessica received her master’s degree in Public Administration from Suffolk University.
She began her Bedford career as an HR management analyst; then, with the retirement of Joanna Nickerson in 2009, she moved into the Assistant Town Manager position. She says she has loved working in Bedford and has learned an enormous amount about municipal government from working with Town Manager Rick Reed.
Reed shared these comments about Porter: “It has been a pleasure to have Jessica serving in the Town Manager’s Office where she worked closely with our elected officials, appointed citizen committees and her other colleagues on Town staff. She has been a key resource in advancing the Town’s development of a long-term capital budget program, our community preservation programs and increased use of social media as a way of keeping in touch with our citizens. She has been the staff point-person for our affordable housing programs. She has also been very responsive to requests of citizens and Town employees.”
Reed continued, “It’s not uncommon for a local government professional to work in more than one community over the course of one’s career as a way of increasing knowledge and depth of experience. In this sense, her new position in Belmont presents an opportunity to do so. That being said, I will miss her as a member of Bedford’s staff and I do wish her the best as she continues to advance her career.”
Asked about the aspects of her job that were most satisfying to her, Jessica said in the early years in the HR position, she worked to bring on board the excellent staff we have today. As Assistant Town Manager, a major focus has been on her work with town committees: the Bedford Housing Partnership, Community Preservation, the Citizen of the Year committee (look for the announcement of this year’s winner very soon) and the Capital Expenditure Committee.
With regard to Jessica’s committee work, Jon (OC) O’Connor, recently-retired chair and member of the Capital Expenditure Committee, said: “After a very short time, Jessica understood the complexities of the need to have and nice to have CapEx requests; all balanced against budgetary realities. Over the last few years the CapEx process underwent a major overhaul. It was to Jessica’s credit, professionalism and assistance that we eventually cleared the hurdles of change.”
What about “unfinished business” that she would like to have completed during her tenure in office? No surprises here! Jessica replied immediately “The Coast Guard housing project.” However, she is leaving with the assurance that the project is indeed moving forward. Bedford has done its part, she said, and now it is up to the General Services Administration and the Coast Guard to come to agreement. Although progress seems slow, the project is in review mode now. The Coast Guard has finished its appraisal but there are still hurdles to overcome – environmental reviews, etc. Still, she is optimistic about the outcome.
Although her work is taking her away from town, Jessica assured The Citizen that she will be keeping up with all the changes underway now: the Bedford Marketplace, relocation of favorite restaurant Luigi’s, and of course, keeping an eye on the Pine Hill Road development. Since she lives close by, we can expect to see her about town from time to time.
About that vacation? It’s a cruise to the Virgin Islands, to “clear the decks” before she begins her new job.
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Waste of a position, Time to eliminate the job.